Slight Panic

I haven't gone Christmas shopping yet. 

Q & A: Boots for Fall

Hi guys! This is the first in a series of Q&A Sofia and I will be doing with each other. We both have similar interests--art, fashion, design--but we  have different areas of expertise. For instance, when I have graphic design questions or photoshop issues or shoe dilemmas or need typography advice I go to Sofia.

Question: Sof! I DESPERATELY need (read: want) two new pairs of boots for the fall...I don't want to spend tons of money but I do want them to be high quality in both material and style so I can wear them to work. My work is fairly casual but I do want something that looks polished and will elevate my jeans or cords. I like brown and black, zippers up the back, knee high, motorcycle style..ummm ok I think that's it...HELP me??

Answer:

Ok so you asked this question at the perfect time! The Half Yearly sale for Women and Children at Nordstrom just started on Nov 1st! I would start by shopping in my department (salon shoes) because the quality is so much better than women's shoes.

Cole Haan is a great option because the price point isn't too high (especially on sale) and they have Nike air in the sole so you will be extra comfy. My favorites won't be on sale but they are great...black AND brown!

Another Trend that is really popular amongst the designers for fall 2012 is the short boot...motorcycle, dicker, combat etc. Jimmy Choo has an awesome one called the "youth". It is $995 so for a more realistic version you should try the VC Signature "warren" it is going on sale and it is very similar. It is about $200 on sale, I believe.


If Salon boots are too pricy then women's shoes does have some more mid-range pricing. A few brands I recommend are Sam Edelman (trendy), Frye (classic western), Ivanka Trump, Enzo Anglioni.

Sam Edelman (cute huh?)

Happy Shopping!

My Favorite Thing

I love laying in the grass when I'm on my break at work. Sometimes I'll read (today it was Jane Eyre). Sometimes I'll pet dogs that walk by me. Whatever happens, happens.

It's quiet and calm, and I am still.

What Makes Me Happy

I just had the best weekend! My dear friend Jessie and her rad girlfriend Jace came down to visit from Portland--and they brought the gloomy, rainy, wonderfulness of their city with them. I loved seeing them so happy and so in love :) We stayed up late catching up, they taught me how to make Tom kha, we took white wine and scrabble to the beach and made up new words. We even took a random trip to Downtown Disney.

Not only did my friends come into town, I also had a perfect house warming party on Saturday :) My parents and little sister even came! There were so many new faces brought in by my lovely roommate, and plenty of familiar friends from college and Santa Barbara. My parents were wonderful sports for coming to an all 20-something party--that's part of why they are the cooooolest parents around. We had a funny costume box with random items from an entire life's worth of Halloweens that people could use to spice up their outfits. My mom made some delicious mulled wine and we had Nightmare Before Christmas on in the background. Over all, I was the happiest girl on the planet.

Being surrounded by my friends makes me happy. It's how I recharge whenever I'm feeling down. I love all of you!

Rain

Today was the first real rain of the season, it smelled wonderfully clean and fresh outside.

I enjoyed waking up to the sound of the drops on the roof and I'm excited to fall asleep to its steady tapping tonight.

Also, I think I may need to invest in some rain boots since I will be commuting in the rain. Which ones do you like better?

Hunter Regent Apsley Rain Boot

Burberry Buckled Rain Boot

The Duchess Shoe

So, in order to feel more like a Duchess, I decided to buy the Kate Middleton L. K. Bennett Sledge pump now that I have a 33% discount at Nordstrom....

aren't they perfect?

now all I need is Prince William.

An Octopus That I Like

Judy Fox

Octopus, 2009 

Sculpted in terra cotta, cast in poly resin and painted with casein paint 

12 1/2" (H) x 17 1/2" (W) x 15 1/2" (D) 

Ace Gallery

Cindy Sherman :: SFMOMA

So last week I went to one of SFMOMA's events on thursday night. The main exhibition in the museum right now is Cindy Sherman, so the night was focused on her work.

Thursdays are already half price at the museum, so general admission was only $9 and they served free wine - what a deal!

Anyways, on the rooftop terrace where the coffee shop is along with a Calder mobile and a Louise Bourgeois spider sculpture, the room was filled with avid San Franciscian art lovers sipping wine and crowding around some of Cindy Sherman's photographs come to life. There were about five people dressed up as some of the personas Cindy Sherman becomes within her photographs. Each one had a few "pop up" performances- singing, dancing, rolling around on the floor etc. After this taste of her work, I was dying to go see the exhibition.

It was astounding to see the same person (Cindy Sherman herself) create numerous different personas within dozens of photographs.

I also found it interesting that she did not title any of her photographs, I think it invites the viewer into a conversation with her art and you can decide for yourself the identity she creates within each piece. 

What do you think of her art? Who are your favorite artists?

Two Thoughts

I wish the weather would allow me to wear cable knit. Also, I still haven't had a pumpkin spice latte yet...

Image: Closet Visit

Look Out Hollywood, Here I Come

I'm starting this new thing. Instead of watching mindless television (read: ANTM, The Voice, Don't Mess with the B in Apt 23), I've decided to watch movies that I've never seen, but have always meant to. I've had enough with my lame excuses--I'm too tired to focus on something deep, I am too scared, it seems too heavy right now, blah blah blah. Enough's enough.

So last week, for three consecutive days, I watched (for the first time ever) Pulp Fiction, Shawshank Redemption, and No Country For Old Men.

All of these films are on IMDB's Top 250 Best Films of All Time list, and now I can see why! Instead of boring you with movie reviews, since you've most likely seen them all anyway, I am going to attempt to summarize my sentiments about each film in two sentences.

1. Pulp Fiction: Seeing someone's head blow up was not as bad as I thought it would be, but watching them pick up brain guts was just as bad as I thought it would be. Uma Thurman was not as involved as I had imagined.

2. Shawshank Redemption: I guess if I were falsely imprisoned, I'd try to make the best of it too. He is lucky that Morgan Freeman was his friend because I want Morgan Freeman to be my friend.

3. No Country For Old Men: I almost puked from constant anxiety. How can one man be so sexy in one movie and an absolute psychotic-demonic-homicidal-lunatic-freak in another?

Thank You

So I have received two thank you notes in the last week, and I was completely blown away upon receiving each of them. The fact that these two people took the time to sit down write a card by hand and mail it with a stamp made me realize how much they truly were thankful.

The first note I received was from a houseguest thanking me for my hospitality when she came to visit for the weekend. The other was a thank you for coming to her birthday party and bringing her a gift.

These notes prompted me to remember some old-fashioned manners that most of us have discarded in this digital age. Yes, when I receive a gift I always say "thank you!" but I haven't put it in writing since probably 2002-when my mother made me sit down and write my thank you notes after my birthday bash.

Has saying thank you in writing become completely obsolete?

With thank-yous on the mind, I found the cutest set of thank you notes at Target this weekend. I never would have known, but my friend Anna reintroduced me to the stationary section in Target and I found the cutest cards! It was hard to pick one, but I ended up with these:

Santa Monica Pier

I'd never been to the Santa Monica pier. Weird, right? I've lived in Southern California for my whole life, but for some reason, I'd never gotten around to visiting this particularly famous landmark.

So the other night after work, I had nothing to do. No plans, no back-up plans, nothing. I don't know very many people in Los Angeles yet, and everyone that I do know lives on the Eastside, so it can be a real pain in the you-know-what to get across town at 6 pm. Instead of going home and sprawling out on the couch to watch tv until I fell asleep (embarrassing) like I'd been doing almost every night (embarrassing)....I decided to take myself on a date.

It was like destiny had made it so that I would have the best time ever. I got a parking spot right next to the pier and it only cost me $2.00! A rarity that I greatly appreciated.  As I approached the pier, there was a HUGE group of homeless people who were being fed by some really lovely people. There was a guy singing with a large snake slithering around his arms and neck, and some people were painting seascapes. Police quietly milled about, but it was peaceful. Everyone seemed in harmony--there was a general feeling of goodwill in the air.

I walked onto the pier and immediately felt like I was in that show Rockett Power. Tito! The Squid!  Woogity woogity woogity. You know, that one.

There was a totally charming amusement park, complete with a roller coaster, ferris wheel, and fortune teller.

I meandered down the pier and stopped to breath in the salty air. I wasn't dressed very well for the outing, but for some reason, it didn't really matter. The air whipped my dress around and blew my hair into perfect beach waves. The water was a deep grey-blue, with an diaphanous sheen. As the sun set, it turned periwinkle and the sun blazed on the horizon. Waves lapped against the columns of the pier and seagulls cooed as they coasted across the horizon. A man sat at the edge of the pier and played California Dreaming.

I bought myself a hot dog with chili and fritos and sat on a bench to watch the sun set. I was in no hurry to be anywhere and I have never felt better. I highly recommend taking yourself on a date sometime soon.

A few of my favorite things

I just wanted to mention a few of my favorite blogs that I regularly follow.

I think Diana and I can both agree on our love for A Cup of Jo. It is compiled of Joanna Goddard's (a world famous blogger) inspiration and thoughts from fashion to motherhood to design.

(Joanna and her husband's engagement photos) 

Another one of my favorites is Modern Hepburn, a blog exclusively comprised of pictures. I am a very visual person, therefore I love just letting my mind relax as I admire the beautiful images presented one after another. She posts a variety of subjects: food, hairstyles, photographs, art, typography etc.

(one of the lovely photographs)

My favorite fashion blog has to be Atlantic-Pacific. Blair Eadie posts pictures of herself wearing the most wonderful outfits. She doesn't have much text, but she does mention where all of the clothing and accessories in the pictures may be bought (or something close) which is very helpful! She is a fashion consultant at Tory Burch (of course) but she used to work at Old Navy with Cindy Ann, my previous boss at my internship at Blu Penny, how crazy!

(the best pattern mixing!)

Lastly, Typography Daily is so wonderful for well, typography inspiration! For any design project where I need to get pretty creative with the typography this is the first place I go to rustle up some creativity.

(how creative! see the rest from this post here)

Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation

So, I recently got my mind blown.

My friend Morgan and I went to the Weisman Art Foundation in Bel Air. Previous to our visit, I had only heard bits of information about it from people, but they all said similar things like, "You just have to see it for yourself" and, "There are paintings on the ceiling! On the ceiling!"

I knew that the Weismans were collectors (and I know his wife is still actively collecting). I also knew that they specialized in fine master works by Modern and Contemporary artists.What I didn't know, was how serious they were. I mean, this was hands down, one of the (if not THE) best collections of modern and contemporary art I have ever seen in my life. I kept saying three phrases over and over again:

"What?! I can't believe this!"

"This is unreal."

"I just don't know what to say, I just don't know. I'm so overwhelmed."

That night, I went to bed dreaming about the art I'd seen. I haven't been this affected by a collection since my first visit to the Louvre. I had creepy nightmares of the hyperrealist human sculptures by Duane Hanson--especially the old sleepy man and Maria, the girl curled up on the couch in the guest bedroom.

Among my favorites were the Frankenthaler panel, the Rothko in the living room, the Magritte in the dining room, the Ruscha in the master bedroom, the large Stella in the annex, the Haring motorcycles,  the Christo in the guest room, the Ernst guest bed, the Paik tv-installation, the Hockney photocollages, the Rivers in the family room, and the Kleins throughout the home. Those are just a few, and it is almost hard to stop there because every single work of art in the home was a knockout.

We were only able to take pictures in the sculpture garden, so I am going to SERIOUSLY recommend you make an appointment to have a tour in this incredible home. They let you sit on the couches and really feel what it would be like to live with these works of art. They kept insisting that the Weismans wanted visitors to experience the home as they had lived in it. It's kind of up to you at this point--either you make an appointment and have a life-changing experience with art, or you don't.

Halloween: Let's Plan Those Costumes

What are you going to be for Halloween?

I'm starting to think about different things that I want to be. I've come up with a few fun ones so far, but it will all depend on how much time, money, and effort I want to spend on creating the perfect costume.

Also something to consider--do you care about being topical? Would you rather have people guessing who/what you are? Or do you love when people can look at you and instantly know?

Last year I was Sriracha. It was kind of perfect. I'm not really sure how to top it.

1. Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones

Should I be Dany as the Kahleesi?

Or the Stormborn Heir of the Iron Throne?

Although, it might be better to go the creepy route for Halloween and be Daenerys as she eats the heart in front of the Dothraki... Ewwww.

2. Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice

I think I kind of have my heart set on this one.

3. The White Queen from Alice and Wonderland

If I got the white wig for this costume I could also be Daenerys on another night...something to consider.

Sofia, here! So last year for halloween I was Champagne, yes the drink. It looks like Diana and I both went for the more palatable costume last year.

do you see the bubbles ;)

Anyways, this year should I go in the darker, more sinister direction? I am usually all about the lovable characters and amusing concepts but maybe I should go for something with some fake blood oozing down my cheek?

What do you usually go for? The classic darker characters...witch, vampire, zombie or perhaps a character from a film or your favorite animal?

A few of my ideas brewing...

1. Melanie Daniels from Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds"

2. Perhaps Drew Barrymore in Scream? (It may work out well since apparently I look just like her)

3. Nina as the Black Swan. I know this costume was very popular last year, but I think it would be so fun to experiment with that makeup!

4. Adriana from "Midnight in Paris", one of my new favorite movies. She is so glamorous and beautiful, and I absolutely adore 20s fashion.

It seems I am sticking to a movie theme this year.

What have you all been thinking of for this all hallow's eve?

Oh, the places you'll go!

So I have had the itch to travel lately, and there are so many wonderful places to go! My friend Michelle and I are going to plan a trip to Europe in January, we are going to try to fit everything in!

There are a bunch of inspiring places around the world that I have found on Pinterest, but here are a few of my favorites.

Almalfi Coast, Italy

Athens, Greece

Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, Scotland

Summum- Longsheng, Guangxi, China

Sunflower Valley, Valencia, Spain

Prague, Czech Republic

If you could go anywhere, where would it be!?